The “for” outweighs the “against”. For a majority of people in eight Western European countries, the legalization of cannabis would be a good thing. 55% of respondents from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands are in favor of it. This is the result of a survey commissioned by the cannabis industry.
Results vary across the eight countries. In seven of them, a majority of people would like to legalize the plant. Only the inhabitants of the Netherlands are a minority (47%) to support such a reform. In France, 52% are in favor, 27% opposed, 18% do not decide.
” Opposition to cannabis reforms (legalization of sales, establishment of social clubshome cultivation) in France is higher than in all the other countries surveyed”note the pollsters.
“No legalization in the immediate future in France”
In Germany, as the country prepares to legalize recreational cannabis, support is not overwhelming. “Only one in two Germans supports the legalization of cannabis sales, two in three oppose it. It will be interesting to see how public opinion evolves when we know the details of legalization.”adds the document.
The authors of the study also wanted to know which model Europeans prefer. Results : ” State-regulated stores are by far the most popular (and least controversial) model for cannabis legalization. Home cultivation encounters the strongest opposition. »
This rejection of self-cultivation is particularly strong in France and the UK, according to the study. She explains this position by the fact that “the public is concerned about the nuisance or disgust of being exposed to the use of cannabis in others”.
Finally, the poll tries to predict the future. Without a crystal ball, but by analyzing the latest events. For our country, the specialists “do not expect reform on recreational cannabis in the immediate future”. Elsewhere, the results are more encouraging. In the United Kingdom, a country where consumption is already almost decriminalized, support is mounting for legalization. In Italy, an upcoming reform is “possibly”. In Portugal, there is a “dynamic”.
Study funded by industry players
However, all these encouraging results still need to be (slightly) qualified. Indeed, this opinion study was funded by industry players, who are rubbing their hands at the idea of possible legalization in Europe.
The benefactor of this study is the American giant Curaleaf. Coincidentally (or not), its director is very confident about the forthcoming legalization of cannabis in Europe. To carry out this survey, he also called on the British firm Hanway Associates.
This does not mean that the results are rigged. On the contrary. The methodology seems serious. It is also signed Savanta ComRes, one of the largest polling institutes across the Channel. Between mid-February and mid-March, pollsters interviewed 9,000 people, “representative samples” over 18 in each country.
